I’m sure most of you have already read the news or better yet have been affected by the unreliability of the Metro recently and it probably has happened more than once. For those of you who live and breath the city, transportation is a necessity. I’m talking about getting where you need to be. If you are a car, motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle owner then cheers to those of you not having to rely solely on the city transportation. On the other hand, those of you stressing about the next time the metro will not just be unreliable but not an option should consider an alternative transportation.

Considering its track record, The Metro recently has put doubt in the minds of all city transportation users now more than ever before but being prepared or one step ahead of this potential possibility shouldn’t keep you from getting your day started whether it is getting to class on time, making sure you reach work, or getting errands completed. Give yourselves options, i’m not saying to go out and buy a car, not everyone can afford to do that, but you have a whole slew of two wheeled options that can be low to mediocre maintenance, economically friendly, and best of all save some money in your pockets.

Next time you're riding The Metro, consider this, a 50 cc scooter gets almost 80-100 mpg, insurance would be 100 dollars a year or less, with nimble and flexible lengths and widths your parking options increase and keeping up with maintenance would cost almost the same as riding The Metro each month.

Here are a few tips for the DIY scooter owner to insure sufficient operation after storage

Whether you have a two-stroke or a four-stroke scooter here are a few things that are tried and true and will assist with DIY at home storage methods for your scooter in order to avoid problems when it's time to pull your scoot back out again!

+ Treating your fuel with products such as Seafoam cleans your injectors, carb jets, stabilizes fuel, controls moisture in fuel, quiets noisy lifters, cleans deposits, adds lubricity to fuel, lubes upper cylinders, and de-ices and anti-gels and you can use it in regular gas and gas-ethanol blends. Bel-Ray all in one aids in ethanol problems, and helps boost octane. Bel-Ray Foam filter cleans and degreases while extending filter life, removing dirt and oil, and ease of cleaning off foam filters.

+ Drain the carb for when the time comes to start up the bike it isn't clogged or damaged from gunk buildup.

+ Air up the tires to the recommended PSI.

+ Enclose any holes especially the exhaust to avoid rodents making it into a home. You can use rags, t-shirts, or socks. Really anything that will seal the space entirely but not damage the pipe.

+ Lube up all moving parts of the scooter such as Kick stand, hand brakes, anything that moves.

+ Hooking your scoot up to a battery tender will help to preserve the battery life and charge while keeping the battery in good operating condition.

The Battery Tender® Plus is a 1.25 amp battery charger designed to fully charge a battery and maintain it at proper storage voltage without the damaging effects caused by trickle chargers. Included is a quick connect ring terminal harness for hard to reach areas and alligator clips for an alternate connection.

+ Store in doors if possible, if not put it outside with a heavy duty cover securely around your scooter.

CoverMax standard scooter cove

These basic steps for DIY storing should take a load off any concerns you may have and allow you relax knowing that yes, it is really this simple.